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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sunday Sunday

Well I was going to push the menu back. Husband is sick in bed, but just wants to lay there and be alone. So in between taking him chicken noodle soup (which I am still surprised he can keep down food... sympathy illness? Cuz I couldn't keep anything down), I have been cooking since 11am. Pure bliss. My daughter who has peaked and interest in all this, but I was told I could not post her picture until she looked "hot", has chosen to spend the day in the kitchen with me. It has been fun, with the exception of one meltdown (I am not used to sharing my kitchen), where she kept asking me how to spell the things I am making. Ok, this is the whole point! I HATE it when I am asked what is for dinner. But oh well. I apologized for turning into a demon and we moved forward.

1st started with Creme Brulee because as we all know it needs to set for 2 hours. I am doing it the FRENCH way though making the extra thick creme aglaise ... chilling it, then topping it off with a caramel powdered praline that I made by browning the sugar, baking some almonds, mixing, pouring to cool.. then once cooled put it in the blender to make the scrumptious topping. It is chilling right now.

Next I moved on to working on the Gnocchi. ugh. This took two times. You start off by making Pate a choux... which you then mix into the already made mashed potatoes... then you add egg and flour. Well I didn't add enough egg and flour. Too much mashed potatoes. It turned into yucky mush. So take two. This time it worked. Perfect Gnocchi. I am however making Gnocchi Mornay So... I am letting the Gnocchi dry out on the counter while making the chicken. While the Chicken is cooking I am going to work on the cheese sauce for the Gnocchi which will go into the oven the last 10 minutes. Here is a pic of them "drying" on the towel before they go into the cheese sauce.

The chicken. That F***** did not have the giblets in the bum. So I had to improvise. I used some bacon instead. My daughter helped mincing the green onions which made her eyes water severely. She has been a sweetie working on dishes. Which she then said "I now know why you said I could help." Which isnt' true, but if you want to help, you help right? The stuffing has butter cream cheese, bacon, herbs, bread crumbs (which yes, are homemade thank you very much... baked the bread yesterday and blended the crumbs today). I have opted to use my bag cooking method because I am sorry, basting every 8 minutes sucks. I have better things to cook...

The bacon I substituted for the liver was scrumptious. The herb stuffing was rocking. Everything about this meal... oh my. Did I mention I was in the kitchen for 5 hours today and loved all but 5 minutes of it? I contributed to the 5 minute meltdown.

Here are the final fixings:

The beans rocked. I topped them off with butter and lime juice. The creme brulee was to DIE for and the chicken... well just look at it. I served it with a Penner Ash Seven Springs 05 Pinot Noir. Poor hubby is missing out on that one.

Tomorrow: LEFTOVERS!

I can eat the cheesey gnocchi every day forever. yum!

Tomorrow... back to work at Pure Country Pet Boutique designing dog clothes. yay me! I will miss cooking for the day. It brings me happiness.

Here is the recipe for the chicken: Poulet Rôti à la Normande

INGREDIENTS

3 lb. roasting chicken

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. butter

Herb and Giblet Stuffing:

1 chicken gizzard, peeled and minced

1 tbsp. butter

1/8 tsp. oil

1 chicken heart, chopped

1 to 4 chicken livers, chopped

1 tbsp. minced shallots or green onions

2/3 cup coarse breadcrumbs

4 tbsp. cream cheese

2 tbsp. softened butter

3 tbsp. minced parsely

1/8 tsp. tarragon or thyme

1/8 tsp. salt

1 pinch pepper

Roasting:

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 tsp. salt

Sauce:

3 tbsp. strong brown chicken stock or

3 tbsp. canned beef bouillon

3 to 4 tbsp. whipping cream

Salt and pepper

Drops of lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

First, prepare the stuffing. Saute the gizzard in hot butter and oil for 2 minutes. Then stir in the heart, liver and shallots or onions. Saute for 2 minutes more, or until the liver has stiffened but is still rosy inside. Scrape into a mixing bowl.

Blend in the rest of the ingredients and taste carefully for seasoning. Let stuffing cool.

Sprinkly salt inside the chicken, and loosely fill with the stuffing. Sew or skewer the vent. Truss and dry the chicken, and rub its skin with butter.

Roast the chicken in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. After roasting 1 hour, remove all but 1 spoonful of fat from the pan. Baste chicken with 2 to 3 tbsp. whipping cream every 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is done. The cream will probably look curdled in the pan, but this will be corrected later.

Remove the chicken to a hot platter and sprinkle with salt.

Add the stock or bouillon to the cream in the roasting pan and boil rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up coagulated chicken roasting juices.

Just before serving, remove from heat and stir in additional cream by spoonfuls to smooth out the sauce. Correct seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste.

Spoon a bit of sauce over the chicken and send the rest to the table in a warmed sauceboat.

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Christi is a published Author of 3 books, Freelance Writer, 200 hour registerd yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance, Nutrition and fitness coach, Activewear Brand Ambassador, Social media guru, Chef, Wife, Mother, Obsessive Animal Lover, and Galley Slave on her husbands sailboat. Originally from Oregon, this sun lover made her way to California to follow her passion for all things sunny. On any given day you will find her motivating others on their fitness and nutrition journey, cooking and writing for Cedar Fort Publishing, Activewear Magazine, Glam Media, Federated Media, 3 different blogs Mom, What’s For Dinner, Gourmet Cooking For Two, and Zero Calorie Life. You can find her books Gluten-Free is easy , Gourmet Cooking For Two and Nourish - The beginner's guide to eating healthy and staying fit at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.